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Monthly Archives: April 2014

It was so spectacular, that I have decided to do a review of the movie.

Synopsis: Robocop is a half-man, half-machine, whose body was so badly destroyed by some bad guys, that the only way to save him was to make the rest of him a machine. But they didn’t just make him a machine, they put in cool gadgets like guns and a visor that comes down when it’s time for him to be bad-ass. Just like on KBC, his pink brains are always being shown off as doctors work on it and talk all that gibberish that is meant to make us understand that whatever they are doing on that brain is some serious stuff to do with neurons and what not.

Now let’s get to the so damn American themes:

America fixes a lot of shit:

So, America in the future will still be occupying parts of the Middle East. They will be keeping the peace, but will still have to contend with suicide bombers who spend most of their time screaming in Arabic. If you have watched the movie, it was essential that the plot briefly touch on Iraq or wherever they were (maybe Afghanistan) . If America did have the technology to create those peace-keeping robots, fat chance that they would use them on American soil without first testing them on suicidal infidels…drones anyone? But my point is, even come 2050, Hollywood predicts that America will still be the world’s big brother. What say you Putin?

So the movie teaches us that if you meet this thing, as long as you keep your hands up and speak english, the robot will not attack you. A poor guy was holding a knife…and it got him blown to bits… a knife…what an OVEREACTION!

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is an American symbol (despite his biologically Syrian roots). He represents persistence, hard work, smarts and individualism- all ideals perpetuated by Hollywood and intercultural communication books authored in America, and Scarface (the movie). It’s a fact, don’t argue.

There is a Steve Jobs in Robocop, this guy:

A brilliant, oldish bully of a leader. A guy who must get things done no matter what. A guy who is bigger than his company (Omnicorp) that changes the world. In other words, Omnicorp is the next Apple in 2028 (which is when the movie is set). I assume that many have romantic notions of Steve Jobs being benevolent, charming, nice, angelic, cuddly etc. I say it’s unlikely. Steve Jobs conned Wozniak (the perpetually forgotten co-founder of Apple) of $2,500 years before Apple, and there seems to be evidence of him being a little bit of an overbearing control freak. It is likely that Steve Jobs was a little bit of an asshole, just like his character in Robocop. Assholes will change the world.

Outsourcing:

In 2028, China will still be the cheapest source of labour, as evidenced by the fact that Omnicorp set up its lab there. Chinese people will still be mostly rural, and their work in the rice fields will be frequently interrupted by emotionally scarred robots running through water while miraculously managing not to electrocute the whole of China.

Capitalism will destroy the world

Capitalism, America and the world’s economic god, will destroy the world one day, and by the world we mean America. Because as mentioned, in 2028 (more like 2080 if the technology in this movie is anything to go by), China- that represents the rest of the world, will still be a rural outsourcing outpost, and the world as we know it, will start and end in America.

Natural hair for black folk will be approved

If you didn’t know it, there are still often political debates about natural hair in America. The afro is still a political statement. The chief of police ( a black corrupt woman with no real role in the movie) has an unkempt yet fashionable afro. The kind that a whole lot of urban kikuyu women (and Mexicans like Lupita) have in Kenya in 2014.